


Why didn't you write me?

by tvshoowsmoovies



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Ghoulies, Prison, serpents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-06-09 19:41:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15274833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tvshoowsmoovies/pseuds/tvshoowsmoovies
Summary: After Toni Topaz served two years in prison, things don't go well between Cheryl and Toni.





	1. She needed time.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfiction ever. So please bare with me for any mistakes. English is also not my first language. I hope you'll like this. Feedback is very much appreciated!

If you told Toni Topaz she would end up with a Northsider woman years ago, she’d think you were crazy. But here she was with the beautiful redhead woman named Cheryl Blossom in their house Thistlehouse. They have been together for 10 months and Toni was the happiest woman ever. She remembers the day they became officially girlfriends. She was so nervous but she also knew she was very much in love with Cheryl and wanted to spend the rest of life with her. Cheryl also seemed slightly nervous, knowing so well where this was coming. They were at Pop’s like every Saturday evening but that day was entirely different, the happiest day to Cheryl and Toni. After Toni asked her to be her girlfriend, Cheryl answered quicker than ever, of course saying yes. And then they stayed there, holding each other and giving a few soft lazy kisses, until it was time for them to leave.

But after dating each other for 10 months, Toni got in trouble. Like serious trouble, not just Serpent trouble. Like getting beaten up by the Ghoulies and coming home to be taken care of by her worried girlfriend Cheryl. Even though she was a Serpent as well right after they became officially girlfriends, but Toni never allowed her to be near the Ghoulies. Never and it bothered Cheryl so much, they constantly fought about it. Months later, Cheryl finally accepted it as long as Toni promised she won’t end up getting stabbed or die. But this time, it was between getting stabbed and die. She got framed for beating up a Ghoulie so bad that he ended up in the hospital and got arrested. Family of that beaten up Ghoulie pressed charges against Toni. No matter how much they tried to prove she was innocent, she ended up getting a two year sentence. In fact it was another young Serpent who almost killed that Ghoulie but Toni didn’t want to be a snitch. It was her family after all.

“Your honor, we find the defendant Antoinette Topaz guilty on all counts.”

“You’ll be sentenced to two years.”

And that’s when it ended Toni and Cheryl’s happiness. Cheryl burst into tears after hearing that her long-time girlfriend was proven guilty and quickly got up from her seat in the court. She wanted to hold her for the last time, making her way through the crowd and stood behind the wooden fence. Toni got up, two cops making her way to her and started to cuff her hands. Tears running down Toni’s cheeks but she didn’t want to break down and sob like a little child. She was going to be away for two years, away from Cheryl and her family the Serpents. They all were here. Sweet Pea, Fangs, FP and Jughead also stood up, joining Cheryl and stared at Toni with so many emotions. Anger and sadness.  
  
“Toni! Please, let me hold her for the last time. I beg you.”  
  
Cheryl told the cops as they started to cuff her hands, but they refused to let Toni touch Cheryl. Toni turned around, trying so hard to move towards her and her lawyer noticed this, giving the cops the signal to let Toni hug her girlfriend goodbye. The cops let her go and uncuffed her, but they stayed close to her. Finally the two of them had their arms wrapped around each other so tightly they never wanted to let go. Both breaking into tears, resting their chins on each other’s shoulders. After a few seconds, they broke away a little but had their arms still wrapped around each other. Toni leaned in and gave her a soft peck on the lips, but Cheryl kissed her firmly on the lips. It felt like their last kiss, even though she would be free in two years. But it felt like a life time.  
  
“I’m going to miss you so much, Toni. I can’t live without you. I love you so much.”  
  
Cheryl sobbed hard, not able to control it anymore. She wanted to be strong for Toni but she couldn’t. Toni bit her lower lip, staring into her eyes and gave her a faint smile as she moved her hand to Cheryl’s cheek.  
  
“Don’t worry, love. I’ll be back before you know it. I love you, Cheryl. I love you so much.”  
  
Then Toni looked over at the Serpents, her family, whilst still holding Cheryl in her arms.  
  
“Please take care of her.”  
  
Eventually Toni had to let Cheryl go, her hands being cuffed again but she never took her eyes off Cheryl. More tears running down her cheeks. The Serpents gave her a firm nod, promising her that they’d take care of Cheryl. She was a Serpent after all and they look out for each other. Cheryl was really happy she gained a new family after she got emancipated. But if she was honest, Toni was her whole family and she couldn’t bear it to be without her for the next two years.

 

\---- TWO YEARS LATER ----

  


Today was the day Toni Topaz would get out of prison after serving two long years. She’s had made a few friends, not instantly of course, but eventually after serving a few months. The first few months she got into a lot of fights, not able to control her anger as always. Meanwhile, she wrote every day a letter to Cheryl until she stopped after six months. For some reasons she couldn’t keep writing and missing her, every night she’d dreamed about her holding her in her arms. And the next day she wakes up, she isn’t here and it drove Toni crazy. That’s why she stopped writing Cheryl letters and tried to move on, trying to serve the next one year and a half without any nightmares. She also refused any visitors from the beginning, because she knew she couldn’t take it to sit behind a transparent wall and not able to touch her at all.

“I’m gonna miss you, man.”

“Take care, Topaz.”

“Say hi to the Serpents, will ya?”

Toni’s fellow inmates told her and each gave her a firm hug, saying goodbye. Toni nodded, flashing them a faint smile.  
  
“I will. Going to miss you too. Take care, guys.”

After saying goodbyes and hugging, Toni exited the building where the inmates stayed and made her way to gather her belongings. She changed into her clothes she wore two years ago and it suddenly reminded her the day she held Cheryl for the last time. How’s she going to explain her why she suddenly stopped writing to Cheryl? Does she even want to meet her up? She wouldn’t really blame her if Cheryl didn’t want to see her, she was the one who stopped contacting her after all. For some very good reasons.

After she got all of her belongings, phone, wallet and keys, she made her way out of the building to see a familiar car parked outside. There stood Sweet Pea and Fangs, leaning against the car as they waited for her. As soon as they spotted Toni, a huge smile played on their faces. Toni couldn’t help it either and flashed her friends a huge smile. Quickly making her way to her friends, wrapping her arms tightly around his friend’s torso since she was very small compared to them. Sweet Pea kissed her head softly as he held onto her tightly, so did Fangs.  
  
“We missed you! You look like shit, man. Let’s go to Pop’s to celebrate this. You in?”  
  
Sweet Pea offered with a grin after they broke out of their embrace, Toni looked up at him and it took her a few seconds to nod.  
  
“Sure, why not?”  
  
“Great! Step in the car. They all are waiting for you!”  
  
Once they got into the car, Sweet Pea started to drive. It’s going to be a two hours long ride. But that gave Toni enough time to think how she would explain Cheryl everything. That is if she showed up at Pop’s. Two hours later, they made it to Pop’s and both Sweet Pea and Fangs got inside already leaving Toni outside. Toni never realized how much she missed Riverdale until now, admiring the beautiful building that’s Pop’s. It was her favourite place of all the time. That’s where she asked Cheryl to be her girlfriend. So many great memories. And now here she was, after serving two years in prison, she wondered if anyone would still see her as the same old Toni Topaz.

After plucking up the courage, Toni finally stepped inside Pop’s and looked around. Jughead, FP, Fangs, Sweet Pea, Veronica and Betty all sat in the same booth awaiting Toni. As soon as they spotted her, Jughead suddenly got up and pulled her into a tight hug. It surprised Toni but she felt happy. Very happy to be back home. Each giving her a hug, welcoming her back home. She really did feel good until she noticed Cheryl wasn’t here at all. Both Veronica and Sweet Pea noticed this, they walked over to her as they held each other. They probably started dating when she was in prison as Toni noticed the way they held each other. Sweet Pea had her arm around her shoulders, and her arm was wrapped around his torso.  
  
“Cheryl needed time. Maybe you can visit her later at Thistlehouse.”  
  
Veronica suggested with a sympathetic look on her face. Toni shook her head, she understood very well why Cheryl didn’t want to be here. If she wanted to see Toni, then she was going to visit her. She wasn’t going to force anything between them. Yet. Now she wanted to hang out with her friends and family.  
  
“That’s okay. So, you and Sweet Pea? Tell me. What did I miss?”  
  
Toni smirked, eyeing Veronica and Sweet Pea, both blushing furiously.  
  
“Well, you missed everything! Let’s sit. We already ordered your milkshake.”  
  
Veronica said happily, gathering all to sit down back at the booth. Toni sat down next to FP who gave her a side hug. She felt happy she got her friends and family at least. She was going to fix things later between her and Cheryl. Now she wanted to enjoy their company. So she started drinking her milkshake as she listened to their stories about the past two years that’s happened while she was in prison.


	2. I don’t need your excuses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go! Second chapter is a bit longer and I really hope you will enjoy this one. Feedback is very much appreciated!

Cheryl knew that Toni got out of prison yesterday, but she wasn’t ready to face her at all. Toni stopped writing her and ever since Cheryl felt alone and betrayed. All over again. It was exactly like since Jason died. That’s why she refused to go to Pop’s after Veronica begged her to come over and over. But Veronica eventually understood why so she left Cheryl alone. She stayed in her room all day studying for her final exams since it was the weekend. Today was exactly the same, she refused to go outside and meet anyone. Instead she kept focusing on studying. But then something hit Cheryl. Toni missed two years of high school and wondered if she ever wanted to finish high school. Now the rest of them are in their last year, all they had to do was to do their final exams and they would go to college next year. Even though she was upset and angry with Toni, she never could stop worrying about her. Every single day.

Cheryl woke up from a trance after hearing her phone buzzing, meaning she got a message. With a sigh, she grabbed her phone to check the message. It was from Sweet Pea. Ever since Toni went to prison, Sweet Pea and Cheryl have gotten quite close. Mostly it was him comforting her and being there, which she appreciated very much. Sweet Pea often stayed over at Thistlehouse with Fangs, and they never declined that generous offer.

_“Cheryl. We have a Serpent meeting! ASAP. I know it’s a Sunday and the shit final exams coming soon, but this is urgent. See ya!”_

Cheryl read his message and let out a frustrated growl, closing her History book. What if Toni was there? She wasn’t ready to face her and hear her bad excuses why she stopped writing her letters. But she had to be strong and just show up at the meeting, she was a Serpent, a proud one. And she never missed a meeting before, so she decided to show up anyway. After she got dressed in her red shorts, a black shirt, and long red boots, finally she put on her red Serpent jacket and she was all ready to leave. But first she put on her red lipstick, she’d never leave the house without her signature red lipstick.

“Where’s everyone? You said we had a meeting!”

Cheryl was quite confused to see only Sweet Pea and Fangs at the Whyte Wyrm. They were both sitting at the table in the corner and it was empty, not a single another person was there. She approached them on her long red boots, which were clicking loudly on the floor. She gave them a death glare as she spoke again.  
  
“If this is a joke, just to get me here to drink-“  
  
But Sweet Pea quickly cut her off, Fangs not even daring to say a word since he was sometimes terrified of her. Fangs shifted uncomfortably in his chair, when Sweet Pea got up from his chair. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder to stop her.  
  
“It’s not a joke. I promise. It’s just I needed to get you here..”

“And, pray tell, for what? Is someone in trouble?”

Cheryl frowned softly, getting even more frustrated but also worried. What if one of them got into an accident? What if the Ghoulies wanted to attack their place again? Or if Sweet Pea and Fangs needed her help on the final exams? Seconds later, someone finally answered her question.

“No one is in trouble.”

Suddenly Cheryl stopped breathing, her eyes widened at the familiar voice behind her. She remained standing there, it almost was like she was frozen. Not even daring to turn around. Sweet Pea and Fangs took their cue to leave, but Cheryl gave them a death glare as if they weren’t allowed to leave. But they quickly disappeared before she could say anything to stop them. Stupid smirks on their faces as they left, as if they were proud of what they did. But Cheryl promised herself she would kill them later. It took her a few seconds to pluck up the courage and turn around, facing Toni who stood a few metres away from her.

Toni gulped slightly, hesitantly taking a few steps towards her. She was wearing black ripped jeans, with dark blue v-shaped shirt, and most importantly her black Serpent jacket. It’s almost like she never went to prison, she looked good. Cheryl took a deep breath and crossed her arms across her chest, not meeting her eyes at all. She still felt pissed and upset with her.

“Cheryl… I am sorry I used them to get you here. But I was quite desperate to reach out to you.”

Toni finally spoke again once she was a few inches away from Cheryl, noticing she didn’t even back away but Cheryl still didn’t meet her eyes. And it hurt Toni real bad, but knew she deserved that. Cheryl let out a scoff, turning her face to meet her eyes but coldly. Her jaw clenched angrily, her arms still crossed.   
  
“You have the nerve to say that.”

“Cheryl, I am sorry-

“No! Save your excuses. I don’t need your excuses. You stopped writing me. I /was/ the one who was desperate to reach out to you for a year and a half!”

Toni flinched at her sudden outburst, taking a step back. Cheryl’s cheeks turned quite red of anger, her arms no longer crossed. She bit her lower lip, trying so hard not to let any tears fall down her cheeks. Cheryl took a step closer to her and placed her finger on her chest, it almost hurt Toni but she didn’t move.  
  
“I should have known that people always leave me in the end. I should have known. You betrayed me. You hurt me. Sweet Pea and Fangs were there for me ever since you stopped writing me letters. It’s like you didn’t care at all. I should have known…”

Cheryl moved her hand away from Toni’s chest, ready to turn around and leave. She couldn’t stand it anymore, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. But as she turned around to leave, Toni followed her quickly, gently grabbing her arm to stop her.  
  
“Please, Cheryl. Let me explain..”

Toni’s voice broke down, tears were already falling down on her cheeks and she didn’t care to wipe them away. But as soon as Toni grabbed her arm, Cheryl flinched slightly but quickly jerked her arm off her grip. Giving her a death glare, angrily wiping her own tears away. It broke Cheryl seeing Toni like this, but Toni hurt her real bad and all she could feel was anger. More anger than sadness.

“I don’t need your explanation, Antoinette! Now leave me alone!”

But Toni didn’t want to give up, she loved Cheryl too much it made her cry. More tears rolling down her cheeks, following her yet again and grabbed her wrist firmly enough to turn Cheryl around. Before Cheryl could protest, soft warm lips were pressed against hers. Suddenly she didn’t feel angry or upset anymore, melting into their kiss. She closed her eyes flustered and felt Toni’s warm hands move to her cheeks. There was no backing away anymore, she got to her eventually. Eventually Cheryl kissed her back, their lips brushing hungrily against each other until their tongues started to explore each mouths. Since it has been two years without no touching or kissing, their sexual tension was huge. They couldn’t get enough of each other, Cheryl’s hands moved to her cheeks and slowly went to grab a hold of her hair. Toni’s hands moved from her cheeks to her waist, slipping a few fingers behind her shirt, she craved to touch her soft warm skin on her back. As she did, Cheryl suddenly pulled away as if she was being electrocuted. Toni blinked her eyes as she pulled away from her so sudden, already regretting for taking it too far. She missed her lips and the warmth already, their lips were so swollen.

“This is a mistake. I should go.”

Cheryl mumbled softly, quickly grabbing her bag and turned around to leave. This time Toni didn’t stop her. She just stood there, not able to say anything in return. She’d make it up later and try to explain everything if Cheryl was ready. And she hoped it would be sooner.

 

\--

 

ONE WEEK LATER

 

\--

 

Most people were at Riverdale High school making their final exams, expect for Toni. She was at the Whyte Wyrm, taking a bar shift. She hasn’t decided yet if she should go back to school. She was too focused on Cheryl only and she should know better. Toni’s dream was to graduate high school and go to college to focus more into photography and art. She never expected how this turned out to be in the end. Cheryl has been avoiding Toni ever since they met each other at the Whyte Wyrm and their make out session. Toni sent her a few messages saying that they needed to talk, Cheryl ignored them and never replied. So instead, she focused on working at the bar and making life choices like high school. She looked up at the clock and noticed that most students would be finished by now and celebrating at Pop’s. Even though they just finished their final exams, result has yet to come if they passed.

“Toni! There you are. Drinks on me, guys!”

Suddenly it was crowded here, Sweet Pea had his arm around Veronica’s shoulders as they made their way to the bar where Toni stood. Also Fangs, Jughead and Betty were here. Toni was a little too occupied noticing if Cheryl was here, but no sign of her red hair. Then she started to prepare some drinks for her friends who were now sitting at the bar, they seemed very happy they finally finished their finals exams.

“Here you go, guys! I’ll be quick, gotta get the ice! Cover for me real quick, Sweets?”

Toni said as she served the drinks in front of them, facing Sweet Pea who nodded at her. With that Toni disappeared in the back to get the ice ready in a bucket. Meanwhile at the bar, Cheryl had arrived wearing her red skirt with a black top, her small tiny red backpack on her shoulders. She half expected Toni to work at the bar tonight but saw Sweet Pea instead, serving some people drinks. For some reason, she wanted to see her tonight but on the other part she was relieved Toni wasn’t here tonight. Ever since their make out session a week ago, that’s all she could think about but she kept avoiding her and her messages. So she went to join Fangs and Veronica. She didn’t care about Jughead and Betty at all since they only had eyes for each other. As she sat down between Veronica and Fangs at the bar, Sweet Pea already served her a drink with a smirk on his face. Cherry cola as always, Cheryl flashed him a smile and thanked him.

“So how are things going between you and Toni?”

Veronica asked carefully as she sipped on her vodka, watching Cheryl with a curious look on her face.

“So Sweet Pea told you that he set me up to meet Toni?”

Cheryl gave her a look, her eyebrow raised. Veronica nodded with a small smile, playfully hitting Sweet Pea’s arm across the bar when he winked at her almost as if he was proud what he did.

“He did. Such an idiot.”

“I’m your idiot.”

Veronica blushed furiously, glancing away with a smirk on her face. Sweet Pea smirked wider but decided to let the girls talk alone, making his way to the back to see what took Toni so long.

“Anyway, it went horribly wrong. She had the nerve to ask them to set me up here to meet her. She had no right. And it’s not like I need any lame excuses or any explanation as to why she stopped reaching out to me from prison.”

Cheryl said angrily, drinking her cherry cola through the straw. Holding tightly onto the bottle, her knuckles almost became super white. Veronica shifted uncomfortably in her seat and wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk or not. Cheryl was always hard to read.

“Maybe you should have let her explain..”

“No. She lost that right.”

“But don’t you still love her? You must still love her.”

“Veronica, I don’t want to talk about Toni.”

Cheryl snapped. That suddenly shut up Veronica. Both Sweet Pea and Toni walked out from the back through the door, a few metres away from where Cheryl and Veronica were sitting. Sweet Pea had told her that Cheryl was here and she immediately went to see her. Sweet Pea nudged her to get to her, taking the ice bucket from her.

“I’ll take it from here. Go.”

Toni couldn’t move, she just kept watching Cheryl talk to Veronica and as always she looked so beautiful and breath-taking. Even though she only could see the back of her head, her beautiful long red locks dancing around as she moved. Veronica spotted her and widened her eyes slightly, that made Cheryl turn around to see who she was looking at. It was Toni. It has been a week since she got back and they only interacted once, it was a shame how things change. They used to be inseparable.

Toni met her eyes and slowly approached them from behind the bar, taking a deep breath before talking. He was glancing at Veronica instead, for some reason she couldn’t look at Cheryl. She felt ashamed for what happened, if only Cheryl would actually let her explain.

“Can I get you any drinks?”

She asked with a smile on her face that actually didn’t reach her eyes. Veronica shook her head. Cheryl glanced down at her bottle of cherry cola, fiddling with the straw as she tried to avoid Toni.

“No, thank you Toni. I’m fine. So have you decided yet if you want to finish school?”

It seemed like Veronica was desperately trying to avoid any awkward tension between them, and Toni was quite relieved for Veronica.

“Oh, not really. Maybe I will. If only Mr. Weatherbee will let me. I doubt it…”

That sparkled Cheryl’s interest, glancing up from her bottle to meet her eyes. A small frown played on her face, she was about to say something but stopped. Veronica noticed this, but continued to speak as she didn’t want any awkward moments. Toni seemed to notice this too, her eyes met hers too. They stayed like that for a while until Veronica spoke.

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous. You’re really smart. I’m sure he knows already. If you want, I could put up a good word for you. And who knows, he’ll ignore the whole prison thing. You’re a good person after all. Too good if you ask me.”

Cheryl let out a scoff as soon as Veronica said this, it made Veronica super uncomfortable now. This made Toni glare at Cheryl, placing her hands on the counter and leaned in close to her face. Toni was losing it and couldn’t hold it any longer.

“Got something you want to say, Cheryl? You think I’m not a good person? Well, guess what? It’s true. I’m the bad guy here. I went to prison even when I was fucking innocent.”

Toni raised her voice and everyone at the bar turned their heads to see what was going on. Sweet Pea walked over to them and was really worried, deciding if he should stop Toni from getting so much attention. But Veronica gave him a look not to interfere with them, he seemed to understand this but still he wanted to be there for them.

“I wrote you letters every single day for six months long! Until I couldn’t anymore. I would wake up every day, after dreaming about holding you in my arms, realizing you weren’t there. I couldn’t…”

Her voice croaked slightly, tears already running down her cheeks. She wiped her tears firmly away with the back of her hand, noticing many people were looking at them. Normally she wouldn’t give a fuck, but she wanted to disappear. So with that, she turned around angrily, shoving Sweet Pea out of her way to the door of a room where they all usually hang out. Once there, she collapsed on the couch that was in the room, she sat there with her face in her hands as she silently cried. She had let it all out. And more tears run down her cheeks as she stayed in this room all by herself.

Meanwhile, Cheryl was quite shocked to see the sudden outburst from Toni. Not able to say a word, she just stared at her with widened eyes. Now it all made sense to Cheryl why she didn’t write any more letters. And she felt so guilty for acting like a bitch to her, if she had let her explain a week ago, this wouldn’t have happened. Veronica carefully placed her hand on Cheryl’s shoulder.

“Are you okay, Cheryl?”

Cheryl shook her head, a tear rolled down her cheek.

“I should go after her…”

Cheryl mumbled softly, getting off the bar stool and made her way to the room where Toni had disappeared to. But Sweet Pea suddenly stood in front of Cheryl to stop her, even though he shouldn’t interfere, he knew very well Toni needed some time alone.

“Get out of my way, Sweet Pea. Or I swear I’ll kick your ass myself.”

“No, Cheryl. She needs some time alone. I think you should go.”

Veronica quickly joined them, giving Sweet Pea a glare.

“Sweets, what are you doing?”

Veronica hissed angrily, standing next to Cheryl who just had her arms crossed waiting for him to move away. She wanted to talk to Toni. She was going to give her a chance to explain everything. But Sweet Pea was blocking the door and it pissed Cheryl off.

“Ronnie, Toni is going through a lot. She doesn’t need this. Not tonight.”

“No, I get it. I should go. I’m sorry.”

Cheryl shook her head, her jaw clenched angrily as she stared up at Sweet Pea. She knew very well he was only being a good friend. He was such a good person and she hated to admit that. With that she turned around whilst wiping the tears away from her cheeks, making her way out of the Whyte Wyrm. She was going to talk to Toni later. Maybe tomorrow. Or the next day after.

 


	3. Please stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update! I hope you like this chapter. Feedback is very much appreciated! If you have any small slight ideas where this should take to, feel free to do that. Serpent stuff will be included in chapter four.

The next day after Toni’s sudden outburst at the Whyte Wyrm, Cheryl decided to meet Toni and have an actual conversation. She understood now why Toni didn’t write any letters anymore and refused any visitors, that was actually made clear way before and Cheryl agreed to it eventually. It felt so hard to sit behind a transparent wall and not able to touch each other, it was a nightmare. So they decided to write letters only until Toni stopped.

Since it was a Saturday, Cheryl had no plans all day. Even though she always stayed all day locked in her room, watching movies or paint her nails whilst listening to music when Toni was in prison. Now Toni was back, she really needed to talk to her and give her a chance to explain as well. They were actually living together and wondered why Toni never paid her a visit at Thistlehouse since she got back. Most of her stuffs were here. But she was sure Toni was staying at Sweet Pea’s until they talked to each other and fixed their situation. For the sake of their relationship, if there was still a relationship. It felt like they were complete strangers for the past week.

_“Toni, we need to talk. When are you free?”_

_“I am working all day. Maybe during my break which is in 20 minutes?”_

_“Fine by me. I’ll be there.”_

Toni couldn’t believe Cheryl finally reached to her and she might have replied way too fast, eager to meet her. She felt like shit last night and had to tell her the whole story, she deserved to hear the truth. And she was going to do that today. She looked up at the clock and suddenly felt really nervous, Cheryl would be here in less than twenty minutes. Luckily for her, she got Sweet Pea to cover for her during her break.

Twenty minutes later, serving some people drinks and cleaning the counter, Toni grabbed her Serpent leather jacket and put it on. She made her way out of the bar and stood outside, needing some fresh air from staying inside for too long. As soon as she made her way outside, she saw a red car driving towards the bar and spotted Cheryl. A small nervous smile played on her lips, but soon she wiped it off. They were going to talk, that’s all. Whether it’s going to end pretty bad or not, Toni felt good to see her face again. Her beautiful face, red lips and her long red locks waving as she stepped out of the car. Toni crossed her arms across her chest and gave her a nod, a small smile on her face briefly. Cheryl noticed her and flashed her a smile, which didn’t reach her eyes at all. After she locked the car, she made her way towards Toni walking up the stairs to stand in front of her.

“Hi. Um, can we talk inside?” Cheryl asked, her hands fiddling with the traps of her tiny red backpack.

“Sure. I only have 30 minutes.” Toni turned around to step back inside the bar, when Cheryl stood in front of her, she tried her hardest not to hug her or kiss her. It killed Toni. She opened the door to the room where they all hang out usually, stepping inside before Cheryl. Once they were both inside, Toni shut the door gently and sat down on the couch. The same place where she cried all night yesterday.

“So the reason I wanted to meet up, I’m giving you a chance to explain.” Cheryl said as she took a seat on the couch next to her but not that close. Toni gulped and turned around to face her, tucking one leg beneath her. Cheryl sat back up straight, but enough to face her.

“All right.” Toni cleared her throat before continuing to speak. “The reason I stopped writing you letters, actually there are more reasons. Anyway, like I said last night, I couldn’t bear it anymore. I know that’s not really an excuse, but I just couldn’t. Every night after I read your letter, I would dream about you. Pretending to hold you in my arms when in reality it was just some fucking pillow. I know I should have written you to explain you why I couldn’t anymore. But…” She trailed off, taking her eyes off hers and bit on her lower lip nervously.

“But what?” Cheryl clenched her jaw angrily, she understood Toni very well but she went through the same as her. “You don’t think I had a nightmare every day too? Waking up every day to see you aren’t sleeping next to me? The first six months were fine because I’d receive your letter and it would brighten up my day. The last eighteen months were hell. I kept writing you letters but I never got a reply back! I thought something happened to you, I thought you were dead! Until I forced Sweet Pea to write you a letter, at least he got a reply back. That’s when I knew you were alive but I still couldn’t understand why…”

Cheryl couldn’t hold it any longer and tears started to stream down her cheeks, angrily wiping them away with her hand. Toni hesitated to lean in forward to wipe her tears away or hold her hand to comfort her, but knew Cheryl would just pull away.

“That’s why it’s not really an excuse and I’m really sorry for cutting you out of my life. But..” Toni took a deep breath and ran her hands down her face nervously before plucking up the courage to tell her the truth. “But the truth is, after some of my prison mates found out about you, they kind of threatened me. If I didn’t join their little gang, they’d hire someone to go after you. And I couldn’t let that happen… Even though I had nightmares, I wanted to keep writing because I always felt closer to you. Honestly, what I said last night, wasn’t the whole truth…”

Cheryl couldn’t believe what she just heard and it took her a few seconds to process what she said. It all made sense now, but she could have at least tried to let them know what was going on.

“Toni… Then why didn’t you try to tell Sweet Pea? Surely they don’t read your letters?”

“They do! That’s why I suddenly stopped, for your own safety!”

“What about your safety?! Toni, you were putting yourself in danger. Honestly, you’re lucky you didn’t get extra time. What did you do, Toni?” Cheryl demanded, bracing herself the worst.

“Cheryl, I can’t tell you that.” She shook her head, a sad expression on her face as Toni looked away.

“I see. Because of my own safety, right?” Cheryl snapped angrily and got up from the couch, ready to leave. Toni quickly got up to stop her, but Cheryl turned around to say one more thing. “Did you forget I’m not only your girlfriend? I joined the Serpents which is also a gang. I thought you knew I can handle it whatever you did out there in prison. But clearly not.”

“Look, Cheryl. It’s not that. I promise. You’re the strongest woman I have ever met and I know you can handle all that. It’s just I can’t help sometimes but care too much about you, that I don’t want to lose you. It feels like I’m losing you right now.. Please, don’t leave.”

Finally Toni leaned in closer and grabbed both of Cheryl’s hands in hers, giving it a soft squeeze. This time Cheryl didn’t pull away and stared at their intertwined hands. It felt good to hold her hands, Cheryl missed her so much. Then she looked up from their hands to her brown big eyes, she felt herself lean in closer to Toni. As their faces got pretty close to each other, their lips almost touching. But all of sudden they heard Sweet Pea knocking very loudly at the door to the room they were in, which caused them to break apart from each other.

“Toni, we need you here! Now.”

Toni cursed under her breath, he ruined their moment and shouted back clearly annoyed.

“Give me a second!”

Cheryl’s hands went to hold the straps of her backpack once again and bit her lower lip, she was going to kill Sweet Pea later. But she had to go, knowing Toni had to work.

“I should go.”

“Wait, Cheryl. I’ll be finished in like three hours. Then we can go to Pop’s for dinner?” Toni asked hopefully, not wanting to be away from Cheryl no longer. She also missed their comfortable bed at Thistlehouse, but Toni knew Cheryl needed time and that’s why she stayed at Sweet Pea’s for a while. Luckily she still had a few of her clothes at his place years ago.

“Why not Thistlehouse? Look, after what you went through..” Cheryl mumbled softly. “You deserve a proper dinner and a comfortable bed. Nana Rose missed you. The minute she heard you got back, she was dying to see you. And wondered why you never came back home. I’ll see you at 8pm sharp.” She put on a perfect smile, trying to hide the sadness and turned around to open the door and left the bar.

“I’ll be there.” And for the first time since she got back from prison, Toni smiled.

\--

Luckily Toni still had some decent clothes at Sweet Pea’s place for the dinner tonight at Thistlehouse. She was wearing black shorts, a v-shaped t-shirt with a flannel wrapped around her waist. And of course her Serpent jacket. It felt like their first date all over again, feeling quite nervous as she made her way to the front door. She had her bike parked in front of the door. Even though she had the house keys, she felt it was right to ring the doorbell.

“Toni. You made it.” Cheryl opened the door in less than 10 seconds, since she was in the kitchen preparing dinner for them, which was close to the front door. Cheryl was wearing a red skirt with a black turtleneck with long sleeves as earlier when they met at the Whyte Wyrm. She stepped aside to let Toni inside and closed the door afterwards. They made their way to the kitchen where Nana Rose was already seated at the dinner table, awaiting for Toni to start eating. A bright smile appeared on Nana Rose as soon as she saw Toni.

“Antoinette Topaz! It’s so good to see you, dear.”

“It’s so good to see you too, Nana Rose. I missed you.” Toni suddenly felt very welcome and was glad to be back home. If only Cheryl allowed her to stay, they still needed to talk about that. Toni made her way to Nana Rose and gave her temple a soft kiss. Cheryl flashed them a bright smile, hoping she was actually the one Toni gave a kiss on her temple. But things were still awkward between them.

“All right, take a seat, Toni. I am sure you are starving.” So they both sat down at the table, Toni next to Nana Rose and Cheryl in front of them. They’d smile at each other every so often during the dinner and sometimes Toni told Nana Rose about how she survived being in prison. An hour later, both Cheryl and Toni were in the kitchen doing the dishes. Cheryl already put Nana Rose to bed. After Toni lived with Cheryl, they decided not to have any maids doing their work. It was mostly Toni’s choice, she felt weird having maids around in the house when they actually could do all the work by themselves. It took Cheryl quite long to agree with Toni.

“Thanks for having me, Cheryl. Haven’t eaten so good in a while.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Toni. You live here. Speaking of, you can come back. If you want.” Cheryl turned to face Toni, craving for her to stay with her. The past two years sleeping without her had been really quite lonely. Of course Nana Rose was here, but that was different. She didn’t get to wake up every day to see her beautiful face in the morning.

“Of course I want to. But I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to.”

“Nonsense. Just please stay.”

“All right. I’d very much like to stay.”

They both smiled at each other and after a while, they finished doing their dishes and made their way to their bedroom. When Toni got inside, she looked around, realizing not much has changed since she left. It made her smile. She took off her jacket, placing it neatly on a chair near the end of the bed. Then she opened one of the drawers, taking her grey sweatpants and a tank top. Since she moved inside, she decided to put her clothes in the drawers instead of her huge closet. It was just that she still wasn’t used to step inside the huge closet to search for her clothes.

They both just changed into their pyjama’s in the same room as they always do, even though it was slightly awkward given their current situation. They still haven’t made up entirely. Cheryl changed into her silky pyjama dress. Toni started to climb into their bed, slowly getting under the covers and suddenly felt so comfortable and great. She felt great to be back home, finally. Toni watched Cheryl lay down next to her, once she was under the covers as well, Toni turned on her side and placed her hands under her head. They were both facing each other but neither dared to touch each other.

“T.T, would you mind if I held you?” Cheryl asked slightly nervous.

“Of course I don’t mind.” A smile appeared on Toni and turned on her other side, shifting closer to her. With that Cheryl slowly wrapped her arm around Toni’s waist and pressed her body against hers as they were spooning. Toni being the little spoon. In fact they always switch being the little spoon, tonight it was Toni. She let out a soft happy sigh, placing her hand on Cheryl’s which was wrapped around her waist. They intertwined their fingers, Cheryl resting her chin on her shoulder and inhaled her amazing scent. Her face pressed into her hair and closed her eyes, a smile appearing on her lips. Toni was back and at this very moment Cheryl felt truly happy to finally hold her in her arms.

“Goodnight, T.T.”

“Goodnight, babe.”

\--

The next day has arrived and Toni woke up slowly, turning to lay down on her back and stretched. She hasn’t slept so heavenly good in forever. But then something hit her, she felt that Cheryl wasn’t on her side and quickly opened her eyes as she sat up straight. She took a good look around, she was back at Thistlehouse. For a second she thought she was back in prison, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. Surely Cheryl has gone downstairs to prepare breakfast or check on Nana Rose.

With that she got up from her bad, putting on a robe she got from Cheryl as a gift. She made her way downstairs, smelling the amazing scent of fresh coffee and pancakes. As she made her way into the kitchen, she saw Cheryl busying herself pouring herself a cup of coffee. The pancakes were ready on the table along with her maple syrup. Since Cheryl was facing the other way and she didn’t hear her walk inside, Toni walked slowly and carefully to Cheryl. Slipping two arms to wrap around her waist and was about to give a kiss on her cheek, but Cheryl jumped quickly and accidentally spilled the coffee on the counter.

“Toni! You know you can’t sneak up on me like that! For the love of God, you scared me.” Cheryl placed her other hand on her chest where here heart should be, taking a deep breath and placed the cup of coffee on the counter. Toni quickly backed away and frowned, she knew she shouldn’t have done that. It has been a while, Cheryl needed to get used to this again.

“I’m sorry. Usually this doesn’t happen. I’m sorry, Cheryl.” Toni mumbled softly, grabbing a wet cloth to wipe the counter clean where she spilled coffee. Cheryl watched her, letting out a soft sigh and placed her hand on her back, caressing it up and down to reassure Toni everything was fine.

“It’s okay, Toni. It’s just.. you know, I was starting to get used to eat breakfast on my own till Nana Rose decides to wake up. Not your fault.”

“But it does feel like my fault. I feel like it’s going to take us long to get back to the way we used to be. If I never went to join that stupid Ghoulie fight, if I just had stayed with you instead…”

“Toni, stop. Whatever happened in the past, happened. It happened. Don’t punish yourself like that.”

Toni washed the wet cloth and placed it neatly on the counter, feeling more calm as Cheryl caressed her back in comfort. Then she turned around to face Cheryl.

“Anyway, what I was about to do…” With that she leaned in and gave Cheryl a soft kiss on her cheek, close to the corner of her mouth. “Good morning, beautiful. Did you sleep well?”

A huge smile crept onto Cheryl’s lips and nodded, her cheeks becoming slightly pink. After all these years, Toni still managed to make her blush and she hated it.

“How can you ask me that? Of course I did, Toni. I missed you. So much.”

“I missed you too. I haven’t slept really good in forever.”

Then all of a sudden, Toni made sure she wasn’t holding a cup of coffee anymore before leaning in and pressed her lips firmly yet so softly against hers. Her hands cupping both of her cheeks when Cheryl’s hands moved to rest on Toni’s waist. In fact it was their second kiss since she got back, but every kiss felt like their first. They continued to kiss, their lips brushing softly against each other and their eyes closed. Soon it evolved to something more, Toni pushed Cheryl against the counter and moved her hands from her face to her waist and then her back, touching her everywhere she could. Never breaking the kiss as Cheryl ran her fingers through Toni’s hair. They were both craving for more but wasn’t sure if they should continue.

A doorbell interrupted their make out session and Cheryl pulled away with a groan, lingering on her lips a little more before pulling away entirely. Toni didn’t want to let her go either, as she was leaving, she had her arms still wrapped around her waist but eventually let her go,

“I wonder who comes here so early. I swear I will kill them whoever they are.” Cheryl said annoyed which caused Toni to chuckle, deciding to sit down and eat her pancakes when Cheryl went to open the front door. Not so surprisingly, it was Sweet Pea and Veronica. They both looked slightly worried.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Where’s Toni? Have you seen her? She hasn’t replied to my texts, she wasn’t at my place either.” Sweet Pea started to ramble, but only stopped when Cheryl raised her hand signaling him to stop talking.

“She’s here, you doofus.”

Sweet Pea and Veronica both raised their eyebrows and gave a knowingly smirk, he felt so relieved now and without permission, he stepped inside to look for Toni. Followed by Veronica, but she went to greet Cheryl first by giving her a kiss on her cheek.

“So she stayed the night, huh?” Veronica flashed her a warm smile. Cheryl rolled her eyes and closed the door afterwards.

“Yes, she lives here, remember? Or did something happen to your brains?”

Veronica rolled her eyes and waved it off, linking her arm with hers as they made their way into the kitchen. To find Sweet Pea arguing with Toni.

“Look, like I told you, I forgot to charge my phone! All right, I am sorry for freaking you out.”

“Seriously, don’t do that ever again, Toni. You had me worried, man.” Sweet Pea wrapped his arm around her shoulders, gently ruffling her hair. Toni tried to get out of his grip and growled, fixing her hair. It caused Sweet Pea to laugh and eventually let her go.

“Leave my girlfriend alone, Sweets. Since you two rudely decided to interrupt our breakfast, would you like to join us?” Cheryl started to pour coffee in two cups for them, not so annoyed anymore. She felt good to have Toni and their friends here. Veronica took off her jacket and placed it on her chair before taking a seat, flashing Toni a huge smile. She was just so happy to see Toni and Cheryl on good terms now. Toni smiled back at her, knowing so well what that smile meant.

“All right, can’t decline any good pancakes.” Sweet Pea smirked and went to sit down next to Veronica, leaning in to give her a soft kiss on her cheek before handing her a plate with a pancake. Veronica thanked him with a kiss on the lips, gently caressing his cheek with her hand before turning away.

“So how are things going so far with you?” Toni asked Sweet Pea and Veronica, she was sad about the fact she missed so much to see her best friend commit a serious relationship. She was truly happy for him though.

“Well, things are going great so far. In fact, I found a place of my own somewhere else in the Northside and asked him to move in with me. But he’s just not ready to live here, and I completely understand that.” Veronica explained, making Sweet Pea uncomfortable as he ate his pancake in silence. Cheryl placed two cups of fresh coffee in front of her friends before sitting down next to Toni.

“Well, it took me a while to live in the Northside too with Cheryl. It was hard to get away from the Southside, but then I realized it didn’t really matter. Because Cheryl was my home.” She glanced at Cheryl, moving her hand to hold her hand. They smiled at each other lovingly, Cheryl felt so good to hear that and gently squeezed her hand in return. Veronica smiled at this and turned to face Sweet Pea sadly, but he was too focused on eating his pancakes hungrily. Sweet Pea did love Veronica so much, but he was afraid to leave the Southside where he has been living his entire life. Maybe there will come a time they will be like Toni and Cheryl. But every relationship takes time and hard work.

And maybe both Toni and Cheryl will go back to the way they used to be. Rather sooner than later.


	4. I can't lose you again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update! I really hope you will enjoy this chapter.

After Cheryl and Toni had their breakfast with Sweet Pea and Veronica this morning, they had a meeting at the Whyte Wyrm. A Serpent meeting to be specific. Veronica had other plans since she wasn’t a Serpent herself and never will be. Sweet Pea 100% agrees with her, he only wants her to be safe. So there sat Sweet Pea with Cheryl, Toni and the rest of the Serpents. FP spoke up as being the leader.

“I heard the Ghoulies are trying to take over the Whyte Wyrm. So I suggested we do a drag race. If we win, they will leave us alone. If they win, they’ll have the Whyte Wyrm.”

All the Serpents protested angrily and FP quickly raised his arms to shush them.

“I know! I know, but hey! We have got a drag race to win then. That’s all they agreed to do. So who volunteers to do the race against the Ghoulies?”

A few stood up quickly, some excited and some quite serious not wanting to lose the Whyte Wyrm. Sweet Pea, Fangs, Jughead and even Toni stood up. Cheryl wasn’t happy when Toni stood up, so she gently tugged on Toni’s arm with a frown on her face. She didn’t want Toni to get in trouble again, not even it was just a race. It was still the Ghoulies they were talking about.

“Toni? Are you out of your mind? No. No way.” Cheryl whispered a little loudly, since the rest of them started to talk to each other who should be the driver of the drag race. Toni remained standing up and turned to glance down at her, her expression changed to an annoyed expression.

“Cheryl, I’m serious. I don’t want to lose the bar. I need to do this.” She hissed angrily.

“Toni, I-“

But FP interrupted them by talking loudly to them.

“Sweet Pea, you are going to be the driver. And… Toni. You get to join him in the car as a passenger. To control him. I have seen you two work together so often, you’re a brilliant team.”

Cheryl was furious and quickly got up from her seat when she saw Toni give Sweet Pea a high five, more like a serious high five that they were going to team up together again. Cheryl grabbed Toni’s arm and she turned around to face Cheryl with a sigh.

“Over my dead body you are going to get in that car, Toni!”

“Cheryl, you don’t understand! I have to do this. There’s nothing to worry about, like FP said, Sweet Pea and I work together so well. I’m sure we will win and everything will be fine. The Ghoulies will finally leave us alone and we get to keep the bar.”

“But what if something happens to you?! Surely that sounds dangerous. I have been to a drag race before and it gets nasty, Toni! What if they play dirty?”

Cheryl was so worried about her, holding Toni’s hands in hers tightly. It almost looked like she was begging her not to do this. She was terrified even. These two years without her was worse enough. She didn’t want her to end up in a hospital or worse die. She never want to imagine a world without Toni.

“Look, you don’t have to worry. Sweet Pea is an excellent driver. I’m sure we’ll win.”

Sweet Pea joined them with Fangs besides him, a weak smile playing on his lips. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze to reassure her.

“Cheryl, I promise you nothing will happen to her. She will be safe.”

Cheryl clenched her jaw angrily at the fact that they didn’t understand her. Clearly they weren’t going to listen to her. Fangs decided to make the situation less intense so he made a joke.

“Scout’s honor!”

Both Sweet Pea and Toni ended up laughing, Toni making a comment quickly afterwards.

“You are not even a Scout, Fangs!”

That’s it. That made Cheryl angry and she quickly got on her feet, storming out of the bar as she grabbed her small backpack on the way. Soon the laughter died down and Toni frowned, realizing what she just did. Of course she understood why Cheryl was so worried but she had to do this. To finally to get rid of the Ghoulies. After all they were the reason she was put behind the bars innocently and she wanted revenge. As she made a move to follow Cheryl, she felt FP’s hand on her shoulder to stop her.

“Come on. We have got to prepare about the drag race tomorrow.”

Toni quickly glanced at FP and nodded, but turned around to find Cheryl gone already. A part of her felt guilty but she had to do this. If they win, she would be free of the Ghoulies and be happy with Cheryl. With a deep sigh, Toni went to join FP and Sweet Pea to discuss the race.

\--

Cheryl had sent a text to Veronica as soon as she left, wanting someone to talk to. To let it all out. They met at Pops and after they had their milkshakes, Veronica spoke after she drank her milkshake.

“So what’s wrong, Cheryl? You have been awfully quiet since we got here.”

Cheryl had only shared a few words like ‘I’m fine.’ and ‘I’m okay.’ After she let out a deep sigh, she finally spoke up, her hands wrapped around her milkshake.

“It’s Toni. She doesn’t realize the danger she’s getting into! What if I lose her again? I don’t think I can survive being in this world without her, V.”

Veronica frowned softly.

“What’s wrong then?”

“Well, we had a meeting and it was about these brainless Ghoulies! They want the Whyte Wyrm unless we win a drag race. And guess who volunteered to do it? Toni and Sweet Pea!”

“What? Sweet Pea volunteered to drive? No way. No, over my dead body. That sounds dangerous.”

“Tell me about it, but they wouldn’t listen to me! V, we have got to do something about this. I’m serious. The drag race is tomorrow.”

Cheryl pleaded Veronica to do something to change their minds about doing the race. Since Veronica started dating Sweet Pea, they have gotten quite closer than before. But this was the first time Cheryl and Veronica were meeting up, when both of their significant others were actually present. And they were already in trouble.

“I have got an idea. It may sounds childish, but maybe it will work. If not..” Veronica paused briefly. “Well, it’s their job. I do understand them. I mean, they really don’t want to lose the bar. It’s like their home, Cheryl.”

Cheryl knew Veronica was right and hated it, letting out a huff in annoyance.

“Just tell me this ridiculous plan. Anything.”

\--

Cheryl arrived home late this afternoon after hanging out with Veronica at Pops and finding a way to stop their significant others to do the race. Toni was already home after she finished the meeting. But she was hoping to see Cheryl at home and talk about what happened earlier. But instead she found Nana Rose and decided to prepare lunch for the both of them after sending that servant home who was taking care of Nana Rose. Cheryl walked inside the kitchen to find them both eating their lunch, which was tomato soup with a sandwich.

“Oh, I see you have prepared lunch. Where’s the servant I hired for Nana Rose?” Cheryl asked with a frown, she purposely has been away for too long because she knew someone would take care of Nana Rose. But Toni was here anyway and it warmed her heart up to see how Toni takes care of her.

“I sent her home. I have got a sandwich and soup for you as well.” Toni asked as she got up from her seat, taking her empty soup bowl in her hands to put it away in the sink.

“No, thanks. I already ate.” Cheryl said, making her way to Nana Rose and gave her a kiss on her temple. Then turned around, leaving the kitchen. Toni frowned at this and knew Cheryl was still upset with her.  So she decided to follow her, finding Cheryl walking upstairs.

“Cheryl? I know you are upset, but come on. This is ridiculous.” She said as she walked up the stairs, following her into their bedroom. Cheryl has been ignoring her till they reached their bedroom. She placed her red Serpent jacket on the chair neatly and flashed her a perfect fake smile.

“Oh, you think this is ridiculous? Know what really is? You getting into trouble again!”

“Cheryl, you have to understand why I have to do this!”

“I do! But you won’t understand why I don’t want you to do this. I can’t lose you again, Toni!”

Cheryl turned around furiously, her back facing her as she made her way to the closet to get changed. She kicked out of her shoes, her shirt and skirt, changing into a silk dress and put on a robe. Toni watched her from sitting on the chair at the end of their bed.

“You won’t lose me, Cher. I promise. I’m doing this for us. I want to get rid of the Ghoulies. Forever. They are the ones who put me behind the bars. Innocent!”

As Cheryl tightened the robe around her, she let out a soft scoff.

“Sounds like you are doing it for yourself. Sounds more like revenge, Toni.”

“I won’t deny that this isn’t revenge… But I really am doing this for us, Cher. Come on.”

Toni pleaded her as she got up from the chair, taking a few steps closer to Cheryl. Once close enough, she gently placed her hands on Cheryl’s waist to pull her closer to her. Cheryl didn’t move an inch and kept her arms crossed. Toni leaned in close to give her a peck on the lips, but before she could place her lips on hers, Cheryl moved her head to the side that she ended up kissing Cheryl’s cheek instead. Toni felt a pang of hurt in her heart and frowned.

“Are you serious?”

Toni whispered softly. Cheryl swallowed before speaking up again as she gently pushed Toni away from her, making her way to her desk, grabbing her sketchbook and her phone with earphones.

“I’ll be downstairs. Don’t interrupt me. Unless you change your mind.”

With that she walked past Toni, holding her sketchbook against her chest and walked downstairs to the living room. She was going to listen to music and draw something in peace, but first turned on the TV for Nana Rose in the other room. She knew she was being childish, but she was upset and for a very good reason. At least that’s what Cheryl thought until she heard a door being slammed so loud upstairs. Toni was upset too. And so was Nana Rose after she heard that.

\--

Later that night, Toni still hasn’t left their room. She busied herself mostly texting Sweet Pea about the race and what happened between her and Cheryl. Sweet Pea also had trouble with Veronica himself. When he mentioned that Veronica wouldn’t even allow him to kiss her or anything else, Toni knew something was up. Cheryl and Veronica were both upset with Sweet Pea and Toni, but this was really childish. They must be desperate. But Toni wasn’t going to change her mind at all.

“What’s for dinner tonight?”

Toni asked as she made her way into the kitchen to find Cheryl cooking, but she didn’t reply right away since she was listening to music. Earphones still in her ears as she served some spaghetti in a bowl. Toni tried again and took a few steps closer to her so Cheryl could see her.

“Cheryl?”

Cheryl jumped slightly at seeing Toni all of a sudden and scowled at her, putting the pan back on its place on the oven before unplugging her earphones.

“Quit sneaking on me like that, Toni!”

Toni let out a soft sigh and shook her head, leaning her back against the kitchen counter.

“I apologize. Didn’t mean to scare you. Cher, are we going to avoid each other?”

“If that’s what it takes to change your mind.”

“Are you serious? How many times do I have to assure you everything will turn out to be fine?! I’m not going to back out, only because my girlfriend doesn’t want me to do this.”

Cheryl threw a spoon slightly angrily in the sink, making a loud noise and took a step closer to Toni. Her gaze was furious and Toni knew she was in trouble.

“Maybe she won’t be your girlfriend any longer if you keep doing this.”

“You don’t mean that…”

Toni’s eyes widened briefly at her comment, quickly turning around to fully face her. She moved her hands to take a hold of Cheryl’s arms, but Cheryl quickly pushed her hands away. She raised her arms as she spoke.

“Toni, I just don’t want you to get in trouble again. Is that so hard for you to understand that? Now excuse me, I have to prepare dinner for Nana Rose. I heard we got another Serpent meeting, but I sent them a text I couldn’t be there because I have to take care of Nana Rose since you sent her servant home. I’m sure you are going right?”

She said with a fake smile and turned around, taking a plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce and made her way to the dining room. Leaving Toni standing in the kitchen. Toni couldn’t bring to say something, she had a choice to make. Do the drag race and lose her girlfriend. Or ask someone else to do the drag race, but she volunteered herself and FP wouldn’t be very happy about it if she backed away so soon. With that, Toni stormed out of the kitchen to the front door. She put on her shoes before leaving, yet again slamming the door. She has been so angry lately. She really was kidding herself that she would be in a happy place since she got back from the prison. Reality sucks, she thought. She got on her motorcycle and drove to the Southside.

\--

Toni had been staying the night at Sweet Pea’s trailer after her fight with Cheryl. And it was the day of the drag race against the Ghoulies. They found a spot where they could do the race. Toni hasn’t been sleeping very well, since all she could think about was Cheryl. Was she really going to lose her?

“Morning, Toni.”

Sweet Pea walked into the kitchen of his trailer, Toni was already awake and ate her cereal at the table. Toni only grunted something in response. Sweet Pea arched one eyebrow as he opened the fridge to take out the milk. He started to pour milk in a bowl and served some cereal in his bowl.

“Okay, definitely not a good morning. Veronica has been avoiding my calls and texts. It’s ridiculous.”

“Cheryl wants to break up with me if I continue to do this..”

Toni blurted out which caused him to almost choke on his cereal, coughing a few times before speaking.

“Isn’t that a little too harsh?”

“Yeah, well. You know Cheryl. Oh, God. Do you think FP will be disappointed if I back away now?”

 “I don’t think so. I mean, there’s still someone else who want to do the race. Maybe Jughead or Fangs? I’m fine with both. “ Sweet Pea shrugged.

“So you are still doing it?”

“Yes. I’m sure Veronica will understand. She knew from the very beginning that I’d literally do anything for the Serpents. And I haven’t really gotten into trouble since. I mean… Okay, I’m shutting up now.”

“You mean, you didn’t end up in prison like me.” Toni got up angrily from her seat, placing her empty bowl of cereal in the sink. She grabbed her Serpent jacket and put it on. Sweet Pea quickly got on his feet and stopped Toni from leaving the trailer. He placed his hands on her shoulders and glanced down at her with a serious expression on his face.

“I didn’t mean it like that, I’m sorry Toni. We both know that it wasn’t your fault. Okay. Red also knows that. She’s just so worried you might end up there. Again. That’s all.”

Toni let out a soft sigh and knew he was right, he always was. She considered herself lucky that she thought of Sweet Pea as her brother. Out of nowhere, she wrapped her small arms around his torso for a tight hug.

“I appreciate that, Sweets. I have to talk to FP. Maybe he’ll understand.”

“So I take you aren’t doing the race?”

“No. Not if I lose Cheryl.”

“You really must love her..”

A smile appeared on her lips and nodded. Toni really did love Cheryl with her whole heart and she’d do anything for her. Literally anything. Even if that means FP being disappointed in her. As long as she got Cheryl in her life.

“I really do.”

\--

All the Serpents and the Ghoulies have gathered together at a spot where they were doing the race. It was around late afternoon, the sun still shining but almost settling down. Sweet Pea, Jughead, Fangs and FP were busy talking to each other, sharing some advices on how to win the race. Even if they have to play dirty, they’d do anything to get to keep the bar. Before Toni decided to join them, she heard a familiar voice. She quickly turned around to find both Cheryl and Veronica, making their way quickly towards them. They had mixed expressions on their faces, or Toni couldn’t really tell.

“Toni!”

Before Toni could say something, Cheryl’s lips were on hers and her hands on her cheeks. Cheryl was kissing her desperately and Toni moved her hands to Cheryl’s waist to pull her closer. Toni wasn’t sure where this was coming from but she wasn’t complaining. They brushed their lips against each other for a little while before pulling away. Their foreheads pressed against each other as they stared into each other’s eyes.

“Please don’t do this, Toni. I didn’t mean anything what I said last night. If you really have to do this… I’ll still be your girlfriend. I really was kidding myself. I can’t imagine living in this world without you, Toni. I’m just so worried about you.”

A few tears started to run down her pale cheeks, silently sobbing as they held onto each other. Toni couldn’t help but smirk softly, moving her face away from her so she could wipe the tears away from her cheeks. A loud noise came from behind them, the noise of two cars driving off quickly. Cheryl blinked her eyes confused and looked up.

“Wait?”

“I asked Fangs to drive with Sweet Pea. I didn’t want to lose you, Cher. I just realized I would have acted exactly the same way you did if you were in my place. And I’m sorry for worrying you so much.”

Toni admitted with a small smile, tightening her arms around Chery’s waist. She missed holding her when she was staying the night at Sweet Pea’s. Cheryl met Toni’s eyes and a smile slowly appeared on her rosy lips. She wasn’t wearing her famous red lipstick today and Toni thought she looked even more beautiful.

“You should have told me sooner!”

“I did send you a text, Cher.”

Cheryl let out a scoff and rolled her eyes, her arms wrapped around Toni’s neck.

“A little too late, I guess. I haven’t been checking my phone for the past hour. I was too busy to find out which place you were doing the race. Veronica finally decided to open any of Sweet Pea’s texts. He sent her the location hours ago.”

Veronica heard Cheryl’s comment as she approached the two of them after kissing Sweet Pea good luck. She finally accepted that he was doing the race anyway. Veronica made a comment on Cheryl with an eye roll.

“Oh shut up, Cheryl. I had to listen to you whine for an hour how you weren’t going to survive without Toni.”

Toni let out a soft chuckle at this and leaned in for a firm peck on Cheryl’s lips.

“You won’t lose me after all, Bombshell.”

Cheryl rolled her eyes amusingly, leaning in for another kiss. But a unknown male voice interrupted them.

“Are you Toni Topaz?”

Toni had her arms still around Cheryl and looked up at the unknown man, blinking her eyes confused. He didn’t look like one of the Ghoulies and he looked like he was in in his late twenties.

“Yes. Who’s asking?”

“I came here to say hi from Blake. She couldn’t make it.” The man replied with a smirk on his face.

Toni suddenly couldn’t breath and stared wide eyed at the unknown man. Blake was the leader of a gang from the prison. A gang she was a part of it. The one who threatened her to go after Cheryl if she didn’t comply. When Toni thought things couldn’t get any worse, she was clearly wrong.


End file.
